jueves, 30 de agosto de 2012

A few days before I discovered the artwork of
the artist Cameron Hampton. Could I describe that I saw? Many words come to my
mind: gloomy, sadness, solitude, darkness. Enter to the Cameron Hampton´s world
is an oniric and disturbing experience. Her strokes are violent and looks like
her paintings were bleeding. She loves use pastel but also include in her
artworks pieces of old pictures and ancient images to lend her works the
meaning of nightmares. Let’s going to know more about her:

Innerview: Could you tell us about yourself?

Cameron: I was born in Atlanta, Georgia. I moved around a lot
when I was a kid so I got to see a lot of the southern and southwestern United
States. The constant changing of my surroundings influenced me greatly.

My work has been described as dark realism. I
use traditional mediums combined with modern mediums to create dire, gritty,
macabre and dark imagery. I like to explore the darker side of humanity. I
think if we artists can bring the dark side of humanity out into the light then
maybe we can understand it more.I am a Signature Member of several pastel
societies including the Pastel Society of America and a Gold Medal Circle
Member of the International Association of Pastel Societies. I attended the
Atlanta College of Art, now the Savannah College of Art, and Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn, New York. I have also studied independently in Austria, Slovakia, The
Netherlands, Belgium and Hungary.

I own my own gallery, The Hampton Fine Art Gallery
in Greensboro, Georgia.

Innerview: When did you know that your way was in the art
field?

Cameron: I originally wanted to be a musician. But I had been
drawing seriously since I was nine years old and I kept going with it. Before I
knew it I was in college studying sculpting and painting and I had fallen in
love with art. It’s always been a part of my life and always will be.

Innerview: In which way your artworks allow the spectator to
know (and to get in) your essence?

Cameron: I try to explore the darker side of humanity not
only with my subject matter but also with my textures and colors. Textures and
colors are paramount to my work. It is my language. When people are viewing my
work, I hope they feel it like I did when I created it.

Innerview: How born Altered?

Cameron: I started creating pictures for Altered, a series
about the Jack the Ripper and Whitechapel murders, about two years ago because
I have been interested in the case since I was about nine years old. Everything
about the case is fascinating to me, the Victorian Era, the gaslight, London,
the dark, brooding atmosphere, an unsolved mystery…it’s perfect for any sort of
storytelling, especially for pictures!

Innerview: What do you think about the digital mediums?

Cameron: I LOVE the digital mediums! I think they are just as
important as the traditional medium’s. They are another tool for us artists to
use.

Innerview: How long does it take to produce one artwork
(painting, modeling?

Cameron: It depends on the picture. Some pictures take a long
time because I create my own textures which have to be “aged” or they are large
works that require many hours of work. But most pictures, especially
illustrations, are done in about a day. I usually know what I want and it is
just a matter of doing it.

Innerview: Which part of producing these artworks do you enjoy
doing the most?

Cameron: There are several parts to producing artworks that I
like. First, before I begin there is a lot of research. Then, I like the
sketching out of the image. It’s always exciting to start a new painting or
illustration! The next part I like is the coming together part of creating a
picture. That moment when I’ve done my preparation work, hard work and it all
comes together well.

Innerview: We saw in your webpage you use various techniques so
what is your favorite one?

Cameron: I love pastels. Pastels are my favorite medium. But
I also enjoy combining the traditional mediums like pastels and charcoal with
the new digital medium's. The two blend beautifully together.

Innerview: How do you get your inspiration?

Cameron: I get inspiration from everywhere! Inspiration comes
easily to me because everything has life in it.

Innerview: How is a day in your life?

Cameron: I don’t have a routine for working. I don’t have set
hours. Sometimes I work only a few hours a day and other times I work twelve to
fourteen hours a day. I am part Native American. We believe it is unnatural to
live and work on a schedule.

miércoles, 22 de agosto de 2012

I knew James not much time before. About a year ago. However, first at all I was attracted because his kindness and his great pleasure for helping inexperiencedartist (writers, pencilers, inkers, colorists and so on)to find a opportunity in the comic book´s world and to create chances for the formation of professional and friendly ties between them. James is a very busy man but he gifts us some of his time to answer out questions:

James: It came about when myself, Phil Woodward, and Robert graham were having a conversation on the Connecting Comic book Writers and Artists group here on Facebook so we thought It seemed a worthwhile endeavor to support the independent community with free tools, education, and a supportive environment

James: I remember being 6 or 7 years old and trudging through the snows of winter and the stickiness of hot Long Island summers to spend my allowance on them. I loved them instantly and completely. If the truth be told I think I learned to read as much by reading comic books as I did by attending school.More or less thirty after my 15 year old nephew Thomas came to live with my wife and me. My stepchildren were all grown and at school. We had not had a kid living with us for a couple of years. Thomas loved comic books as much as I did (and do)! I had heard of a game called City of Heroes being launched earlier that year. It seemed to be something that Thomas and I might do together. We loved it right away but Thomas suddenly developed hormones! My Gaming buddy was too busy to play with me anymore. I sullenly kept playing, but my heart wasn’t in it like it had been.Some years later I am invited to become a Member of The Omega Factor super group on the Pinnacle server. I laughed almost daily with my virtual reality friends. Some of them were game experts, some were comedians. Some were encyclopedias of comic book lore, gaming, sci-fi, fantasy, and pop culture as it related to these topics. Most were a little bit of all of these things. I had found a home. I came to gradually understand that although I had never met a single one of them face to face that I genuinely cared about them. I had met them virtually, but they were real friends.None of us had or has a bunch of money (life can be so cruel!). I got to thinking that there had to be a way to fund our mutual favorite pastime. What could we do to help us come up with communal scratch for things like the Ventrilo server we used, the Super group forums? I thought about a memorial car wash, Cookie Sales? Nope! but What if we pooled our talents to produce a few comic book titles? Hey, that sounds interesting! Some of us can write. Some of us can draw. Ink. Letter!! Color!!! Edit!!!! print!!!!! License Toys!!!!! Script!!!! Cast!!! Sell out!!!!?I started to read everything I could about the industry. Really liking comic books and thinking you can easily master them is a bit like enjoying fine food and thinking that you can instantly become a gourmet chef. It will take training, work and study. Dedication and commitment to excellence will probably need to come in to play as well

We will tell stories in new ways. We will create new images that will expand the mind and feed the soul. We will create the new fables of our times and keep it entertaining.We also hope to sell some comic books

Nosotros contaremos historias de nuevas maneras. Crearemos imágenes que expandan la mente y alimenten el alma. Crearemos las nueva fabulas de nuestros tiempos y mantendremos entreteniendo pero también esperamos vender algunos comics.Innerview: We think we live the same things as you James. We agree with your ideals and we wish you luck. It was a pleasure talk with you and we thank to you the time you gift us and the hard (and continuous) fighting for stimulate the independent comic book.Please visit Wonderfunders in:http://wonderfunders.com/